Rocky Mountain Gamer: Become a swashbuckler in 'Black Flag'

"Assassin s Creed IV: Black Flag" enables you to enjoy the adventurous life of a pirate. (Associated Press/ Courtesy of Ubisoft)

'Assassin's Creed IV:

Black Flag'

From: Ubisoft

Rated: M

Who it's for: Anyone who ever wanted to be a pirate!

Console: PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U, PS4, Xbox One

Grade: A

It's five minutes into "Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag" and I'm at the helm of a pirate ship. Several other ships surround me, and I am desperately trying to come around to unleash a broadside and cut down my opponents' numbers.

I let iron fly, but it's too late. My ship goes down in a storm of cannon shot, wood splintering around me as I'm tossed into the sea. Fortunately, I'm only a couple of hundred yards away from shore. I swim for it and begin one of the most spectacular adventures I've ever played.

Subtitled "Black Flag," this installment of the "Assassin's Creed" franchise capitalizes on the best part of "Assassin's Creed III" -- the naval combat.

Starting in 1715, "Black Flag" puts you in the boots of Edward Kenway, grandfather of Connor the protagonist from "ACIII." It also represents a slightly lighter turn for the series. While the Templars versus the Assassin's theme certainly still exists, "Black Flag" is the world of pirates, and it's all about the adventure.

This extends to the modern-day sequences. Where Desmond Miles previously was playing a high-stakes game in the present, having to hide his location while working to uncover fragments of his ancestors' past, here you're simply a guy starting a new job, exploring the past to create an entertainment (perhaps a video game).

That isn't to say the game has lost any of its complexity; quite the opposite, in fact.

After your initial skirmish, the world of "Black Flag" explodes before you. The Caribbean in the early 18th century was teeming with settlements, from the colonial cities in Havana, Cuba and Kingston, Jamaica, to small fishing villages, smuggler coves and military fortifications. You can even pay a visit to pre-United States Florida.

There are more than 50 islands to explore, emphasizing the work that went into making this such a vibrant, living world.

The signature free-running of "Assassin's Creed" is intact, allowing Edward to scale trees and buildings, climb towers and jump into the occasional hay bale while finding his best path through the world.

Some of the problems that have plagued the series from the start -- missing a turn while chasing someone and, instead, accidentally trying to climb a wall, will cause frustration. Thankfully, these issues are actually few and far between and don't overly detract from the game.

It seems the game is split about 60/40 in land-versus-sea adventuring. While it's always fun to run around collecting things, there's something exhilarating about taking to the seas in search of other ships to battle.

Edward gets his own vessel, the Jackdaw, fairly early in the game, but it starts out fairly weak. Over the course of the game you'll have to upgrade it to take on some of the stronger battles, particularly the legendary ships.

While delivering a broadside to a massive three-masted vessel feels great, it's nothing compared to boarding a ship, stealing its cargo and making it part of your personal fleet.

It's also great fun meeting some of the era's famous pirates (go, Blackbeard!) and it helps to immerse you in the game's dynamic surroundings.

In addition to the expansive single-player campaign, "Black Flag" includes a multiplayer experience fairly similar to the previous games. As much fun as this is, it would have been great to experience a multiplayer version of the naval combat. We can only hope they implement this as DLC in the future.

The main story doesn't pack as big a punch as the "Assassin's Creed II" series, but it's more cohesive than "ACIII." There's something about Renaissance Europe that made the perfect location for the series, and it seems as if designers will have a difficult time finding that sweet spot again.

Still, it's a fun story that works well with the setting.

It's almost silly to even comment about the graphics and sound. On the current-gen systems, the game looks and sounds spectacular. Wait a few weeks and pick it up for the PS4 or Xbox One, and it will be even sharper. The quality is simply amazing.

"Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag," hits all the right notes. Along with being a great installment to the series, it shows why the pirates are still beating the ninjas 3-1.

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